1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermal transfer sheet, a thermal transfer recording method, and a thermal transfer recording system and, more particularly, it relates to a thermal transfer sheet, a thermal transfer recording method, and a thermal transfer recording system, which can regulate a printer so as to limit the use to authentic thermal transfer sheets which received an approval of the quality assurance by a printer manufacturer or the like so that the appropriate printing can be performed in a printer, and which can prevent deterioration of the printing quality and deterioration of a thermal head.
The present invention also relates to a resonance circuit and, more particularly, it relates to a resonance circuit which makes a resonance with a high-frequency wave (electromagnetic wave and the like) and in which an electrically-conductive ink layer is formed in a pattern of the circuit on both sides of an dielectric material by a thermal transfer process, and relates to a process for producing the same.
The resonance circuit and a process for producing the same which are provided by the present invention can be applied to the general uses for a resonance circuit and are suitable, in particular, for the aforementioned thermal transfer sheet imparted with an approval information, and a recording method and a recording system which use the thermal transfer sheet.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a thermal transfer recording medium used for thermal printers, facsimiles and the like, there have been hitherto used thermal transfer sheets in which a thermally transferable layer of a heat meltable ink layer or a sublimation dye layer is provided on one side of a substrate film.
The conventional thermal transfer sheets are the sheets on which a heat meltable ink layer or a sublimation dye layer is provided thereon by using, as a substrate film, a paper such as a condenser paper and a paraffin paper having the thickness of around 10 to 20 xcexcm or a plastic film such as polyester and cellophane having the thickness of around 3 to 20 xcexcm and coating on this substrate film a heat meltable ink obtained by mixing a wax with a colorant such as a pigment, a dye and the like or an ink obtained by dispersing or dissolving a sublimation dye in a resin binder.
And printing is performed by heating and pressing predetermined portions by means of a thermal head from a rear side of the substrate film to melt or sublimate an ink layer located corresponding to a printing part among a heat meltable ink layer or a sublimation dye layer and, which is thereby transferred to a printing paper.
In addition, there are generally used continuous thermal transfer sheets in a rolled up form obtained by rolling up on a supply bobbin and adhering an front end of the thermal transfer sheet to a rolling up bobbin. And thermal transfer sheets are contained in a thermal transfer sheet cassette in many cases and are exchanged with a thermal transfer sheet cassette at the end of use of the thermal transfer sheet and recently, however, users simply exchange thermal transfer sheets and cassettes are reused from a viewpoint of the reuse of resources and the like.
In addition, thermal transfer recording media are generally used by rolling up a thermal transfer sheet, connecting a lead film to an end of the final rolling up of the thermal transfer sheet, and adhering an end of the lead film to a reeling up bobbin, which is mounted on a printer. The lead film exerts respective functions such as guidance and pulling up of a thermal transfer sheet which is first used, protection of a rolled unused thermal transfer sheet from the outside the rolling, improvement of the workability and accuracy of mounting when a thermal transfer sheet is mounted on a cassette or directly on a printer, and removal of crease upon rolling up a thermal transfer sheet after use (See JP-A(Kokai)-Hei-6-336065, JP-A-Hei-9(Kokai)-272247 and the like).
In addition, there is disclosed a cassette for a thermal transfer sheet in which a displaying label of the number on which information regarding the number of recordable image planes of the thermal transfer sheet is recorded is applied to a front end of the thermal transfer sheet without connecting a lead film to the thermal transfer sheet (JP-A(Kokai)-Sho-63-68452).
Furthermore, there is disclosed such a thermal transfer sheet cassette that it is not misused in a printer, a light diffracting structure on which information for printing is recorded as a light diffraction image is provided in order to prevent forgery, the surface of the light diffracting structure is formed to be on the same level of that of the cassette case or on the more recessed level than that of the case surface, and the light diffracting structure having the fragility is used (JP-A(Kokai)-Hei-8-318657, JP-A(Kokai)-Hei-8-318658).
There are many kinds of thermal transfer printers and required to have the excellent printing quality such as the clearness of a printed image, high density, high sensitivity and the like. To the contrary, an amount of a thermal transfer sheet to be used in a printer has been increased and many products which did not received an approval of the quality assurance by printer manufacturers or the like, that is, a thermal transfer sheet which is not authentic called as a pirated article are on the market.
When this pirated article is used in a printer, it is inferior in the matching properties with the printer, and deterioration of the printing quality and deterioration of a thermal head occur frequently, leading to problems.
However, in the thermal transfer sheet with the lead film as described above, the misuse can be prevented and operations can be made easy upon mounting on a printer, but it can not be regulated that the use of it in a printer is limited to thermal transfer sheets which received an approval of the quality assurance by printer manufacturers or the like, that is, authentic thermal transfer sheets so that appropriate printing can be performed for the printer.
In addition, when the aforementioned displaying label of the number of the sheets on which information regarding the number of recordable image planes is recorded is applied to a front end of a thermal transfer sheet, a printer can provide information regarding the number of recordable image planes but it can not be regulated that the use of it in the printer is limited to authentic thermal transfer sheets.
In addition, the provision of a light diffracting structure on which information for printing is recorded as a light diffracting image in the aforementioned cassette case is assumed that exchange is made with a cassette when the use of a thermal transfer is completed and the thermal transfer sheet is exchanged with a new one and, therefore, when a cassette case is opened and a thermal transfer sheet contained therein is exchanged with not authentic one for use, it can not be regulated that the use is limited to authentic thermal transfer sheets.
On the other hand, there has been hitherto known a discriminating system in which an apparatus for transmitting and receiving a high frequency-wave of the particular frequency (electromagnetic wave and the like) is combined with a card or a tag having a resonance circuit which is responsive by a radio format in order to manage peoples who come to and go out from the particular places and manage the movement and the discrimination of articles in a physical distribution stage.
The resonance circuit is fundamentally composed of a coil-like circuit on at least one side of a plastic film as a dielectric material and a circuit for a condenser electrode plate or a coil-like circuit which also functions as a condenser on the other side of the film. Alternatively, there is a resonance circuit in which a condenser electrode plate part is not provided at an end of a coil-like circuit, coil-like circuits are formed on both sides of the film so that the circuits hold a plastic film between them so as to correspond to each other and, as result, the circuit itself plays a role as a condenser electrode plate.
The resonance circuit is composed of a resistance R, an inductance L and an electrostatic capacity (condenser capacity), the condenser capacity C is formed of a plastic film which is a dielectric material and a metal foil such as a coil-like circuit and the like formed on both sides thereof, and the resistance R is formed of a metal foil which forms a circuit. Therefore, in order to obtain the predetermined resonance frequency necessary for a resonance circuit, the parts construction having the high accuracy of the dimensions and the position is required.
From the above point of view, a coil-like circuit has been hitherto formed by laminating a metal foil such as aluminum foil and the like on one side or both sides of a plastic of a dielectric material, printing the predetermined pattern on a metal foil on a plastic film with an ink having the high resistance to etching as in a process for manufacturing a printed-wiring board, and etching with a chemical solution such as an acid, an alkali and the like or performing a photoresist etching method.
However, this etching method with a chemical solution necessitates a period of time until a metal foil is dissolved out, and there are many problems that a wasting treatment for an etching solution and the necessary facilities for an etching step become a large scale.
In addition, in a printed-wiring board and the like, there is a method by punching a thick metal foil in the predetermined circuit pattern, which is adhered to a substrate. However, in this method, since the metal foil is thick, the flexibility is lacked and this method is not suitable for this articles such as a resonance tag and the like. A resonance circuit manufactured by this method is relatively thick and lacks the flexibility and, therefore, is not suitable for applying on a thermal transfer sheet.
In addition, it is performed that a coil-like circuit of a resonance circuit is formed on a dielectric material with a silk screen printing and, however, a printing edge of a circuit pattern is not sharp and a blur is produced at a printing edge upon impressing an ink onto a dielectric material by rubbing with a squeegee. Thus, there is a problem that a circuit having the high positional accuracy can not be obtained.
Therefore, a first object of the present invention is to solve the aforementioned problems and provide a thermal transfer sheet, a thermal transfer recording method, and a thermal transfer recording system, which can regulate so as to limit the use to the authentic thermal transfer sheets which received an approval of the quality assurance by printer manufacturers or the like so that appropriate printing can be performed in a printer, and which can prevent deterioration of the printing quality and deterioration of a thermal head.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a resonance circuit having the high dimensional and positional accuracy of parts, and having the stable resonance properties, which can be applied, for example, to a resonance tag and a card and, particularly, can be appropriately utilized as a discriminating mark for thin articles, and having the high productivity, as well as a process for manufacturing such the resonance circuit.
In order to accomplish the aforementioned first object, in principle, a thermal transfer sheet relating to the present invention is characterized in that it is provided with an approval information showing that it is approved as applicable to the predetermined printer.
In addition, in principle, a thermal transfer recording method relating to the present invention is characterized in that it comprises the steps of:
setting a thermal transfer sheet provided with an approval information that it is approved as applicable to the predetermined printer on a printer;
confirming the aforementioned approval information from a determinator; and,
interlocking the printer with the determinator to be worked in the state where the thermal transfer sheet is set thereon when the determinator determines that the aforementioned approval information is correct for the printer.
Furthermore, a thermal transfer recording system relating to the present invention comprises a printer and a determinator and is characterized in that,
an approval information that it is approved as applicable to the predetermined printer which has been given in advance to a thermal transfer sheet is confirmed from the determinator, and
when the determinator determines that the approval information is correct for the printer, the printer is interlocked with the determinator to be worked in the state where the thermal transfer sheet is set thereon.
The actions of the present thermal transfer sheet, recording method and recording system are as follows:
In the present invention, an approval information identifying that a thermal transfer sheet is an authentic article is given in advance to the thermal transfer sheet with a thermally transferable layer provided on a substrate film. A thermal transfer sheet equipped with the approval information is set on the corresponding printer and a determinator interlocking with the printer is made to detect the approval information. If the determinator determines that the approval information is correct for the printer, the printer is interlocked with the determinator to be worked in the state where the thermal transfer sheet is set thereon.
Therefore, according to the present invention, since a printer can be regulated so that the use of a thermal transfer sheet is limited to the thermal transfer sheets which received an approval of the quality assurance by a printer manufacturer or the like, appropriate printing can be performed and, as a result, the deterioration of the printing quality and the deterioration of a thermal head can be prevented.
In the present invention, a mark which is coded from the aforementioned approval information may be unseparatably provided with a thermal transfer sheet. And, the aforementioned determinator can be made detect the mark to determine the truth of the approval information.
The mark of the approval information may be unseparatably provided on the thermal transfer sheet or on a lead film at front end of the thermal transfer sheet, or provided on a case for the thermal transfer sheet, or provided on an independent support such as a card and the like to detachably combine with the thermal transfer sheet or the case. However, when the mark of the approval information can be separated from the thermal transfer sheet, the unjust use of the mark is relatively easy. To the contrary, when the mark and the thermal transfer sheet are provided unseparatably, it becomes difficult to use an approval information identifying the thermal transfer sheet for an another thermal transfer sheet, being preferable.
The mark is preferably provided unseparatably at a front end of a thermal transfer sheet. When the mark is provided at a front end of the thermal transfer sheet, the mark can be easily and rapidly detected in the state where the thermal transfer sheet is set on a printer.
The mark may be formed of a material which can be destructed with the energy given from the outside. A thermal transfer sheet having such a destructible approval mark is set on a printer, and a determinator interlocking with a printer is made to detect the approval mark. When the determinator determines that the approval mark is correct for the printer, the printer and a destructor are interlocked with the determinator to work the printer in the state where the thermal transfer sheet is set on the printer and at the same time, the mark is destructed by giving the energy to the mark from the destructor.
In this embodiment, at a time when the thermal transfer sheet is permitted by the printer, the approval mark of the thermal transfer sheet is destructed and it can no longer be detected to be correct. Therefore, according to this embodiment, a printer can be regulated so that the use of a thermal transfer sheet is limited to only thermal transfer sheets which received an approval and, additionally, a mark for identifying that a thermal transfer sheet is an authentic article can be prevented from being reused or misused by replacing the mark with another one or applying the mark on another thermal transfer sheet.
The mark may be formed of a material which can be destructed with such a degree of heat that can be released from a printer. In this case, a recording part of the printer as the destructor interlocking with the determinator is worked and the heat can be given to the mark from the recording part to destruct the mark. When a recording part of a printer serves as a destructor for an approval mark, it is not necessary to prepare an independent destructor or mount an independent destructor.
The mark may be provided at a position overlapping with a thermally transferable layer of the thermal transfer sheet, at a front part of the thermal transfer sheet. And, the thermal transfer sheet is set on a printer, a determinator interlocking with the printer is made to detect an approval mark. When the determinator determines that the approval mark is correct for the printer, the printer and a destructor are interlocked with the determinator to overlay the thermal transfer sheet on a receiving sheet in the printer and the heat is given to the approval mark from the recording part to destruct it. In this embodiment, a thermally transferable layer which is positioned at an approval mark is transferred to a receiving sheet at the same time with the destruction of the approval mark. As a result of printing, the destruction of the approval mark can be confirmed.
Although the mark may be either a mark detectable with the visible light or an invisible mark which can not be detected with the visible light, the invisible mark is preferable because the forgery and the misuse are difficult.
The invisible mark can be formed of a material detectable with any one of detecting mediums and detective means other than the visible light. The invisible mark may be made to be detectable by absorbing or emitting an ultraviolet ray or an infrared ray. Alternatively, the invisible mark may be made to be detectable by imparting the electromagnetic properties in response to a microwave. The invisible mark may be a mark containing a magnetic material or an electrically-conductive material.
As the mark, there may be used a resonance circuit which makes a resonance with a received high-frequency wave to transmit an echo wave. When a resonance circuit is used, at least a part of an electrically conducting path of the resonance circuit may be formed of a material containing a low melting point metal which is meltable with the heat applied from a recording part of a printer and, thereby, the destruction becomes possible by giving the heat from the recording part as a destructor.
In order to accomplish the aforementioned second object, a resonance circuit relating to the present invention is characterized in that it is provided with at least a dielectric material, a coil-like circuit dispose on one side of the dielectric material and a circuit for a condenser electrode plate or a coil-like circuit which also serves as a condenser and, at the same time, the coil-like circuit, the circuit for a condenser electrode plate and the coil-like circuit which also serves as a condenser are formed by thermally transferring a thermal transferable electrically-conductive layer of an electrically-conductive layer transfer sheet on the dielectric material in the predetermined pattern.
In addition, a process for manufacturing a resonance circuit relating to the present invention comprises the steps of:
overlaying an electrically-conductive layer transfer sheet having a thermally transferable electrically-conductive layer over one side of a dielectric material with the thermally transferable electrically-conductive layer facing with the dielectric material, and then thermally transferring the thermally transferable electrically-conductive layer on the dielectric material in the predetermined pattern, to form a coil-like circuit; and,
overlaying the electrically-conductive layer transfer sheet over the other side of the dielectric material with the thermally transferable electrically-conductive layer facing with the dielectric material, and thermally transferring the thermally transferable electrically-conductive layer on the dielectric material in the predetermined pattern, to form a circuit for a condenser electrode plate or a coil-like circuit which also serves as a condenser.
According to the above process for manufacture, a resonance circuit having the high dimensional and positional accuracy of parts and the stable resonance properties and which is thin and rich in the flexibility can be easily and effectively manufactured. Further, according to the above process for manufacture, a resonance circuit which is rich in the flexibility and is thin can be obtained like an etching method and, at the same time, the productivity is higher, the production facilities are compact and it is not necessary to waste an etching solution as compared with an etching method.
A resonance circuit of the present invention obtained by the process for manufacture has the high dimensional and positional accuracy of parts and the stable resonance properties and can be applied, for example, to a resonance tag or card and, particularly, can be appropriately used as a discriminating mark for thin articles such a thermal transfer sheet, being also highly productive.
The present resonance circuit can be applied to the thermal transfer sheet as an approval mark in order to accomplish the first object of the present invention.
One embodiment of a thermal transfer sheet having a resonance circuit as an approval mark is characterized in that the resonance circuit is provided with at least a dielectric material, a coil-like circuit disposed on one side of the dielectric material and a circuit for a condenser electrode plate or a coil-like circuit which also serves as a condenser disposed on the other side of the dielectric material and the coil-like circuit, the circuit for a condenser electrode plate and a coil-like circuit which also serves as a condenser are formed by thermally transferring a thermally transferable electrically-conductive layer of an electrically-conductive layer transfer sheet on the dielectric material in the predetermined pattern, and the resonance circuit with such a configuration is fixed at a front end of the thermal transfer sheet.
In addition, in an another embodiment, a resonance circuit is provided with at least a lead film which serves as a dielectric material, a coil-like circuit disposed on one side of the lead film and a circuit for a condenser electrode plate or a coil-like circuit which also serves as a condenser disposed on the other side of the lead film, and the coil-like circuit, the circuit for a condenser electrode plate and the coil-like circuit which also serves as a condenser are formed by thermally transferring a thermally transferable electrically-conductive layer of an electrically-conductive layer transfer sheet on the dielectric material in the predetermined pattern, and the lead film is connected to a front end of the thermal transfer sheet.